


He's Going the Distance

by Mjb



Category: Septiplier - Fandom
Genre: 2018 Winter Olympics, I Will Go Down With This Ship, M/M, Septiplier AWAY!, possibly smut, we'll see where this goes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-21
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-03-22 03:15:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13755132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mjb/pseuds/Mjb
Summary: Here's the Olympics AU nobody asked for. Jack is an ice skater representing Ireland in the Olympics but he's not the only familiar skater, Ethan is his competition. With a shaky past between them will Ethan find a way to distract Jack and throw him off his game, possibly with an attractive speed skater.





	1. Welcome to Korea

Jack stepped off the plane bright eyed and bushy tailed, he was so excited to be returning to S. Korea and this time to fight for the honor of his country. He, along side of four other athletes, were competing in the Winter Olympics under the Irish flag. Even though there are always so few athletes to come out of Ireland for the snow drenched events, those few were loud and proud. After a lengthy 15 hour flight from Dublin, Jack was more than ready to be at his final destination in PeongChang to start preperations.

Once they landed in Seoul, the athletes were quickly ushered into a private bus to wait on others with the same final destination. Honestly, Jack only knew one of the other Irish competitors, ironically, also named Jack. The two met on the ice in Dublin and became fast friends and although they were competing in different sports, they had quite a bit in common. 

Jack Walsh is a speed skater whos come close to breaking the world record in the qualifications. This caught the attention and respect of the other Jack immediately.

"Hey Walsh, over here!" Jack waved at the other Jack, who he called Walsh to keep things straight, from his seat on the bus.

"That airport was crazy, I can't believe I lost you at the baggage claim. Honestly I was getting nervous they had lost my luggage, lucky me it was one of the last bags out" Walsh plopped down in the seat next to Jack as he let out a loud sigh, happy to be this far without any incidents. "So, who else are we waiting on?" He eyed the bus seeing at least three different countries represented there.

Jack sat back in his seat with a little roll of his eyes, "The driver said that we were waiting on a couple of Americans who stopped off for coffee, the nerve of them holding us all up. They could at least bring me some. Now I just have to sit here and stew in the delicious smell of their coffee for the next hour." He finished with a little pout on his face which made Walsh crack up.

"Ha ha ha... oh god, you should see your face right now. It's like someone tripped you up during one of those twirly moves you do." Walsh wiped a tear from his eye as his attention was directed to the front of the bus, "Speaking of the devil..."

A group of American athletes entered the bus, loudly chatting and laughing away. They made their way to the back of the bus, coffee in hand, and landed a few seats behind the two Irish men.

"Bastards with their amazing smelling bean water." Jack mumbled under his breath. Then his eyes met with one of them before the other quickly turned away.

"What was that about?" Noticing the look exchanged between the two, Walsh caught onto some tension between Jack and one of the smaller American athletes.

Jack nodded towards the other man who was seated by a window, "That's Ethan Nestor, he's an ice skater like me. Matter of fact, last year he competed against me and had a suspiciously similar program to mine. I just don't trust the guy."

Two more Americans made their way down the isle of the bus to meet with their team mates, "Mark, Tyler we're back here." Ethan waved at the two men carrying coffee and pastries with them.

The taller of the two got a huge smile on his face, leading them to the seats directly behind Jack and Walsh. As the two got settled, Mark stood to take off his jacket and get more comfortable. Unfortunately, he wasn't the most graceful when it came to balancing his coffee and lost his grip on the hot beverage. The cup, seemingly in slow motion, tumbled forward and directly on Jack's shoulder, soaking his coat.

"Damnit, holy fuck that's hot! What the hell man?" Jack quickly shed his 'Team Ireland' green and orange jacket as the steaming liquid started seeping into the fabric. "Ow, Ow, Ow..." He turned around in a huff to give the American a piece of his mind but once he saw the horrified look on the man's face he paused.

Mark studdered for a second, breathless as he realized what had just happened, "Oh, oh god, holy shit I'm so sorry man. I didn't mean to... I mean, oh no... here, let me help." He reached over and started patting Jack's sleve with a few napkins, effectively doing nothing to dry the garment.

Shaking his head and pushing Mark's hand away, "No, no just... you've done enough. I'm fine."

Staring at the wet sleve of the Irishman in front of him, Mark felt immense guilt building in his gut. "Here, you can wear my jacket if you want. The bus is cold and I already have a sweater and you can just give it back to me when we get there." He shoved his coat at Jack and quickly sat down and buried his head in his hands.

Jack threw his head back and groaned in frustration, giving up, he wrapped the fluffy white 'Team America' jacket around his shoulders and sat back down. He wanted nothing more than to be at the Olympic park at this point so he can settle into their rooms and relax a bit before dinner.

The ride was suprisingly quick, mostly because once he settled into the warmth of Mark's coat he fell sound asleep. Jack was shaken awake by Walsh's hand on his shoulder, "Jack, buddy, we're here!" By time Jack was awake, most of the bus was empty, including the rowdy Americans. 

Shrugging off the fact that he still was donning a Team America jacket, he zipped it up and grabbed his bags knowing he'd probably run into the group again. Stepping off the bus, Jack was hit with such an energetic buzz coming from the park around him. A light frosty breeze carried sparce snowflakes around in a snowglobe effect. They were greeted by a petite Korean woman who was to be their guide to show them around the area.

"Hello and welcome my name is Soo-Jin and I will be your guide today. So you don't have to carry your bags around, we will stop off at your housing first and then I will show you some of the other facilities we have to offer." She finished with a slight bow and smile.

"That sounds amazing, if you could just show us the room and where to get dinner that should be fine, we can explore on our own later." Walsh rubbed his hands together before grabbing his bag.

"You are both Irish, yes?" Soo-Jin looked back at them in curiosity as she led the way across the freshly salted sidewalks.

"Huh?" Jack was confused until he remembered the flag currently on his chest. "Oh yeah, just a little incident on the bus."

Walsh, Jack and the rest of the Irish team filed along in awe of their surrounds, everything was so festive and diverse. There were people everywhere with bright smiles as they hugged and took pictures with each other. The buildings, although mostly temporary, were large and impressive with lights and flags strung between them. Jack thought to himself how beautiful it will be all lit up at night.

"Thank goodness we have a lower floor, these windows are huge" Walsh spread open the heavy red curtains covering the nearly wall sized windows looking over the main area of the Olympic park from three floors up.

"Yeah, any higher and those curtains would remain closed" Jack shouted from his room as he flopped his suitcase on the bed to unpack. Luckily, since the Irish team was so small, they were able to each get a private room in their assigned loft.

Walsh stood in his doorway leaning against the frame as Jack turned around, startled by his presence, "So, whatcha going to do about getting that lad back his jacket? Plus... where's yours? You know we're supposed to wear them in the opening ceremonies."

Jack's eyes widened as he mentally slapped himself, "Shit, I have no fuckin clue where mine is. I don't remember seeing it on the bus." He wondered briefly if the American had it.

"I don't know man, but I do know that I'm starving. Come on, let's see about getting some dinner before we roam around." Walsh pushed himself from the door frame and grabbed the keys to their loft.

The pair passed a few other doors before coming to an elevator, as they drew closer they heard an obnoxious beat coming from the floor above them. "Give you one guess who that is" Walsh smirked as the doors to the elevator opened.

To their surprise they laid eyes on a familiar face who looked like a deer in headlights. Jack diverted his eyes to the ground and stepped in silently not really wanting a confirtation at the moment.

"H-Hey, it's really good to see you again. I'm a really big fan." A timid voice squeaked out from the small man as he held out his hand for Jack to shake.

Being the nice guy he is, Jack shook the hand offered and nodded to him. He knew exactly who this boy was, Ethan, the American that was accused of copying his own routine. This rumor was no secret among the skating community, he was even under review for the incident at some point. "I just wanted to clear the air between us." Ethan continued as the elevator hit the bottom floor. 

He continued to walk beside Jack and talk, "I-it isn't true ya know. I never copied your routine like everyone said, I promise. It's just... I'm a really big fan of yours and I love your style so I watch a lot of videos of yours and it seems to influence me when I skate and I...." Ethan was quickly rambling at this point as he quickly tried to follow the other two men.

Jack came to a quick stop, turning to Ethan. "Look, there's no hard feelings. Let's just focus on what's ahead and forget the rest. Now if you'll excuse us, we're going to head over and find some dinner. Nice to see you again."

Ethan's face fell, he didn't know if it was from relief or frustration. He was expecting a bigger todo from Jack but it didn't seem to phase him at all. "Oh, ok then. See you at practice tomorrow." He turned back to the buildings that held their lofts, shoved his hands in his pockets and headed back with Jack's words ringing in his head.


	2. That Jacket

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethan and Tyler talk and Mark delivers a gift

"Hey, Where have you been?" Tyler sat forward from his place on the couch as Ethan walked through the door of the American's flat.

With a hefty sigh, Ethan plopped down on the couch, arms crossed and a sour look on his face. "Nowhere"

"Eth, I know better than that now spill it." Tyler scooched a bit closer to Ethan as he flipped off the TV that was playing in the background.

Groaning out of frustration, Ethan continued, "It's so stupid but do you remember the Irish guy that Mark threw his coffee on?" Tyler nodded, encouraging him to continue. "Well, he's the skater that I watch all the time, the one that I got accused of ripping off his program."

"Oh, so did you run into him again or something?"

"Yeah, more like I rode the elevator waiting on him. I just needed to try to talk to him and clear some stuff up ya know?" 

Tyler sat silent for a moment trying to choose his next words carefully, "Didn't you literally show your trainer his videos and tell him the exact move sets you wanted to use from that. I mean, that is pretty much..."

"Don't you dare finish that sentence... sure that wasn't my proudest moment but I didn't copy everything. Anyway, he said there was no bad blood between us but for some reason I don't believe him. I just... I don't know what I was expecting." Ethan leaned against Tyler as the larger man wrapped an arm around his shoulders."

"Don't worry too much about it babe, you're incredibly talented and deserve to be here. I know you're going to be amazing and I'll make sure one person won't get you down. Now lets grab Mark and head to dinner."

The three made the quick trek to the dinning hall, grabbed some food and settled in. The large cafeteria type area was lined with groupings of tables and chairs, mostly occupied to the brim with athletes, trainers and coaches chattering away and filling the space with numerous languages and laughter. With the tall curved ceiling lined with heaters and bright florescent lights, the space felt alive and bustling at all hours of the night and day.

"Hey, isn't that your little friend over there?" Tyler nodded towards a table about twenty feet away holding a few Irish and Swedish athletes that were just finishing up their meals.

Both Mark and Ethan quickly turned to see Jack sitting forward in his chair sipping on hot tea with a huge smile on his face. He undeniably was enjoying the moment, company and atmosphere surrounding him.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me of something I need to take care of." Mark quickly finished and headed out without another word to the other two Americans.

"What was that all about?" Ethan asked.

"No clue" Tyler shrugged.

Mark raced over to the building adjacent to the dinning hall which housed several different amenities including a workout area, spa, recreation room and laundry facility. He walked up the counter to be greeted promptly by a volunteer, "Welcome back Mr. Fischbach, I have that item we promised all ready and packed up for you."

"Thanks so much, I really appreciate how quickly you were able to take care of this for me." The American grabbed the moderately sized white box and headed back over to the housing building. 

Mark tapped his foot as he rode the elevator to the third floor, gripping the box in his hands. He wasn't so sure if he wanted to run into a certain Irishman or not, he made his way to the door of team Ireland and paused. Before knocking, Mark decided to just leave the package at the door and quickly retreat but unfortunate for him that plan didn't pan out.

"Can I help you with something?"

Quickly turning to meet the curious eyes of an Irishman standing behind him in the hall, Mark froze for a second before speaking, "O-oh, I didn't expect you... I mean, I just wanted to leave this for you." He made a quick scan of the man before him, noting that the Irishman was donning a familiar American jacket, leaving a smirk on his face.

Jack noticed the look and rolled his eyes, ignoring the light dusting of red on his own cheeks. "What, I needed a coat since you destroyed mine."

"Well, that's why I'm here. I kinda need the jacket for the opening ceremonies tomorrow so I wanted to trade you for this." He offered the white box to Jack, who took it with a questioning look.

"Oh, ummm... why don't you come in for a second." Jack balanced the box on his hip and unlocked the door, leading the American in. He tore into the box which held a small doll of the white tiger Olympic mascot along with his Team Ireland jacket, freshly cleaned. With a small smile on his face Jack pulled out the jacket, "So that's where it went."

Mark shifted from foot to foot, a bit uncomfortable in the Irish space, "Yeah, I figured it was the least I could do."

"Well, thanks for returning it and for the little buddy here." He held up the stuffed tiger.

"N-no problem, I should get going since my team mates are waiting on me to check out the recreation area."

"That's where I'm headed too, I'll walk with you over there. Oh, by the way, my name is Jack. Nice to officially meet you." He extended his hand.

"Mark" He took the Irishman's hand in his noticing how incredibly soft it was. "Shall we?" Mark held out his elbow for Jack to take.

"We shall." Jack interlocked his arm with the Americans with a giggle.


	3. Practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack hits the ice for practice

The next morning came way too early for Jack since he had to be on the ice for practice at six AM. He was used to early mornings but not quite this early. Although he did manage to stay in bed as long as possible before heading over to scarf down a quick breakfast.

Last night had been fun getting to know some of the others but that wasn't his main focus there, it was winning for his country. Images of last night did flash through his mind as he was gliding across the ice warming up before his run through, playing ping pong, video games, sitting around the fire while sipping hot chocolate... yeah, it was definitely a good time. Luckily he had over two weeks ahead of him to spend like this.

"HEY, Earth to Jack.... where is your head right now?" His coach yelled at him from the side of the rink. "Now, let's start your program from the top." Shaking his fluffy head and bringing out the camera, Danny was ready to record and take notes.

The music started up momentarily after Jack took his starting pose, he pushed off with his right foot and started his graceful twists and turns around the surface. At the surge of the orchestration Jack made his first jump, a triple double and landed it flawlessly. He hummed along to the Game of Thrones music as it echoed overhead, counting the beats to his next jump.

He was suddenly thrown off a bit by a few others entering the area and making their way to the seats. Familiar white jackets of the Americans piled in to watch for a bit before Ethan could take the ice for his practice. A small smirk came stretched across Jack's face when he spotted the group he had spent the evening with, including Mark who waved.

Jack wanted to wave back but he was thrown back into reality at the swell in the music preparing him for his hardest jump of the program, a triple axel triple toe. Mark was watching from one side of the rink as Danny was recording from the other, first jump landed perfectly but the second, not so much.

The Irishman came crashing down to the ground into what looked like a painful pile. Danny cut off the music and scooted across the ice to Jack who was still sitting on the ground staring at the ice.

"Jack, man are you ok? That was quite a fall." Danny carefully stooped down and placed his hand on Jack's shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine just knocked the wind out of me a bit."

Helping him up, Danny practically carried the Irishman off the ice. "You're done for right now, I don't need you hurting yourself before the actual competition. Let's go watch the footage and see where the jump went wrong then you can take an ice bath."

As the two exited the ice Mark ran up to check on Jack, "Hey man, you good? That looked rough."

"Heh, you don't watch ice skaters practice much do you? That was nothing." Jack was amused by the concern on Mark's face, he's taken quite a beating many times so this fall was just a drop in the bucket in comparison. 

Regardless, Mark wrapped his arm around Jack's shoulder to help him walk back to the seats. "I just wanted to make sure before I headed off to practice myself, you really looked great out there."

"Thanks, it was ok. Outside of the last jump combo, I feel pretty confident." Both Danny and Mark were ushering Jack to the locker rooms as Ethan took the ice for his practice. Just as the door was shutting behind them, Jack noticed something oddly familiar. The music started up, a different arrangement of the same Game of Thrones music he had just skated to. "What the hell?"

*******

Before the Americans made their way over to the skating arena for Ethan's practice, Tyler decided to have a little side chat with Mark. 

"I need a favor from you." Tyler leaned in with a hushed voice.

"I'm scared to ask but what's up?"

"You know how Ethan's all up in arms about that Irish guy we hung out with last night. Well, he's seems to like you quite a bit. I mean, you two laughed and joked all evening."

Mark looked puzzled, "Yeah, so? What does he have to do with anything?"

"Do you think you can distract him a bit, ya know maybe throw him off his game? Winning here would mean the world to Ethan and he can't seem to get his head in the game as long as Jack is a threat to him."

Pausing his walking and staring at the ground, Mark shook his head, "I... no, I'm not going to jeopardize his chances here just so your boyfriend can win. That's not right."

"I'm not asking you to cheat or anything, just like make friends with him, swoon him or something. Ya know, just flash that winning grin every once in a while and see if he takes the bait." Tyler pulled Mark along so they weren't late.

"Absolutely not."

"Come on, you know the Olympic village is just a big playground for the athletes to get to 'know' each other, just get to know Jack" 

Mark huffed throwing his hands up, "I'm not making you any promises and I'm not going to cheat but tell Ethan I'll try to spend some time with Jack if that'll make him happy."

"It absolutely will."


	4. The Blue Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Background on Ethan with a bit of Tyler

Growing up, Ethan never really had an ideal childhood. Starting at the age of 7 he started his journey of being in and out of foster homes, some good and some not so good. He lived his life being told he was too small, too skinny, too loud and just plain not good enough. Finally at the age of eleven, he found himself in a loving home with the best foster parents he could wish for.

His family uprooted him from Maine and made the trek all the way to California for his mom's new job. In Maine, Ethan was used to playing outside in the cold and snow. Most of his previous foster families simply forced him outside during the day so the snowy tundra quickly became his place of solace and peace.

Now, living in LA, Ethan was sorely missing the weather that came with living in the North East so his foster family surprised him in two ways. They formally filed for adoption and bought him ice skating lessons. Little did they know the little wild child would turn his life in a whole new direction at that point.

Going from being a thirteen year old trouble maker to dedicated skater within a matter of months was something to take note of. He really took off once he discovered a twenty year old international skater by the name of Jack McLoughlin. Ethan was enamored with the grace and athleticism of Jack along with his small build and loud nature. Finally, Ethan found someone he could relate and look up to. For the next few years he studied every routine and memorized them to a tee, including his award winning performance at the World Skating Championships.

After years of busting his ass and not getting noticed, Ethan finally got an invitation to compete in the US figure skating Championships. The then nineteen year old skater was quick to show some of his favorite moves from Jack's previous performances to his coach asking to put together a performance honoring his inspiration and favorite skater. 

Ethan did amazing in his performance and even came in sixth in his first big competition but then the shit storm started. All kinds of videos were showing up on YouTube with side by side comparisons of Ethan's and Jack's routines. The amount of Ethan's performance that exactly coordinated with Jack's championship performance were too numerous for the skating community to ignore. He was put under a warning and an investigation was started.

The whole incident became a blur to Ethan and he quickly slipped into depression, contemplating suicide and fell off the skating circuit for several months following. It wasn't until Tyler reached out to him that he returned to the ice. The two trained at the same facility and were relatively close throughout their time there but once Tyler started to pull Ethan out of his dark time their relationship started to bloom.

Tyler spent the next few years encouraging Ethan and doing his best to protect him from negative press and critics. Once they both found out they qualified for the US Olympic team they both felt on top of the world but this was short lived. The critics started coming out of the woodwork, bringing up Ethan's past discretion. There was little Tyler could do to shelter Ethan but he made a promise that he would do anything in his power to keep Ethan happy and far away from the depressed state he once was in.

After a run through of his Olympic routine, Ethan quickly skated over to the wall and stormed off the ice. "Did you know about this?"

Kathryn backed up shaking her head, "No no I had no idea he was skating to that music, please don't be mad."

"You're my coach, you should know these things... Especially with him!" Ethan was now pacing back and forth in front of Kathryn. "You know what they're all going to say"

"Eth, don't. You didn't know Jack was skating to almost the exact same song."

"Yeah, well who's going to believe me... no one. I'm just going to be known as a copycat yet again." He started unlacing his skates and pulling them off.

Kathryn sat down next to him trying to remain calm for Ethan's sake, "There's nothing we can do now so let's just roll with it and we will fight the critics as they come."


	5. practice and a deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyler makes a little bet with Mark

Jack was pissed, he was seeing red once he heard the song that Ethan was skating to start to play. Yet, he waited until Mark left for practice to say anything, "What the hell is this kid thinking? Now he's copying my music? Danny, have you seen his routine yet or do I need to guess how many of my moves are involved."

"Dude, breath. None of the competitors have any prior knowledge of each other's routines. I... I don't know if he knew or if it was just a freak coincidence. Regardless, there's nothing we can do about him now, we'll leave that up to the fans to rake him over the coals if he did something wrong." Danny was doing his best to clam Jack who was visibly turning red in the face.

Jack was now skate free and half out of his practice clothes, pacing with his hands on his hips. "You're right but fuck, what are the chances it was an coincidence? He's pulled this shit before."

"Remember your own words dude, positive mental attitude. Don't let this get to you, just worry about out skating him."

*****

Mark had made it to practice with Tyler, both sitting in the middle of the large oval track lacing up their skates. As Tyler was stretching his arms to adjust into the tight uniform, he glanced over to Mark, "So how's it going with the Irishman?"

Rolling his eyes and making some final adjustments, Mark huffed out, "It's only been just over a day, what do you expect. Plus, I'm not hanging around him because you want me to, we happen to have a lot in common. He's a cool guy unlike you lame asses."

Tyler chuckled, "Fine, how about this. If you beat me this first lap then I'll leave you alone, if not then you have to ask him out on a date. Deal?"

"Fine, but you know I can out skate you in a heartbeat." Mark stood and wiped his hands across his thighs to warm them up.

The two readied at the start line and waited only momentarily until the tone sounded, Mark took off with gusto as his strong legs and smaller frame carried him out in front of Tyler. He knew he had this in the bag so he let off the speed a bit not wanting to wear down before actual practice, little did he know Tyler was going at it with his all following closely behind. Yeah, Mark didn't want to ask Jack out on an official date but he did seem to want to spend most all of his time around the Irishman. They rounded the third turn and Mark quickly realized that Tyler was starting to pass him on the inside, it was already too late to match the taller man's speed. His long powerful legs were carrying him quickly to the finish, much to Mark's surprise.

Even leaning into the finish, Tyler overtook Mark, "Hell yeah!" Tyler pumped his fists in the air as he glided to a stop, "In your face!"

"Shit... a bet is a bet but I'm doing it on my own terms."

"Yeah, yeah, just as long as you do it tonight." Tyler clapped Mark on the shoulder and grinned down at him. "Now, let's get to practice. Our first match is coming soon."

*****

Everyone was finished up with their practices for the day and gathered in the cafeteria for dinner, Tyler quickly tracking down Jack and Walsh to eat with them. "There you are Jack, you guys come and sit with us" knowing that he needed to get Mark and Jack together he cleared a place right next to Mark for the Irishman to sit.

Walsh sat at the end of the table and Jack went to sit next to him but was quickly snatched up and led to the newly cleared seat. "Why don't you sit here Jack, Mark was telling me how much you two have in common. You must have a ton to talk about. Right Mark?"

Mark glared at Tyler, knowing exactly what his friend was up to, "Gee, thanks Tyler."

Jack nervously laughed and looked down at his lap, "Uh, hi everyone." Ethan sat right across from him not knowing how to act.

Finally Ethan quickly stood, looking like a deer in headlights. "Sorry, I just remembered I, um, I left the shower running. I gotta go." He practically knocked his tray off the table as he fled.

Mark looked around then to Tyler puzzled, "What was that all about?" Tyler simply shrugged, not knowing the level of tension between the two skaters.

"Maybe he just didn't feel good and didn't want to say anything. I'll check on him after dinner." Tyler blew off his boyfriends sudden disappearance.

"Maybe he's faking it for attention." Jack mumbled more to himself under his breath.

"Did you say something?" Mark turned his attention to Jack.

"No, no... so how did your practice go today?"

"Seemed like he had a good one, him and Tyler there were goofing off on the ice the whole time." Walsh chimed in from the end of the table.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The comment caught Tyler's attention.

"Nothing, I was just waiting on my time slot and overheard you guys causing a ruckus just laughing and carrying on." 

"It's not like we ran over time or anything"

"Tyler, I really didn't mean anything about it. It's just everyone is taking their practices so seriously then you two were out there goofing off." said Walsh

"Don't worry about us, you'll see how ready we are when we meet on the ice tomorrow night." Tyler had an air of smug confidence to his tone.

"Alright man, didn't mean to make things uncomfortable" Walsh decided to quickly dig into dinner and get out of there before Tyler came after him, the guy had at about a foot on him.

Jack chose to jump in and lighten the conversation, "Hey, anyone going over to watch the hockey game tonight? I think it's Sweden and Canada."

Most of the athletes shook it off, choosing to relax for the evening, except one. "I was thinking about it, you want to go together?" Mark asked.

Jack smiled before shoving another bite of his dinner in his mouth, "Sounds great, we need to get going soon then."


	6. Is it a Date?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Mark hang out

As the two athletes walked to the arena where the hockey match was being held, Mark had the heavy weight of Tyler's 'request' hanging over his head. He decided to push it to the back of his mind, he wanted to get to know Jack more regardless of a silly bet.

"So, Mr. Irishman, where are you from?" Mark asked as they walked shoulder to shoulder.

Jack looked over to Mark with a questioning look on his face then flashed an adorable smirk, "Ireland, duh."

Mark rolled his eyes and bumped shoulders with Jack being rewarded with a light giggle, "You know what I mean."

"Althone, literally grew up in a little cabin in the woods but now I live in Brighton in the UK. How about you?"

"Well, I grew up in Ohio but moved out to LA when I was young for training. I even went to college out there so I didn't have to leave m-my trainer." Mark stuttered a bit when he felt his fingers brush against Jack's cold ones. Too bad the moment was only fleeting and didn't seem to effect Jack the way it did him.

After chatting for a few moments about their homes, Mark continued to question Jack. He was intrigued and just wanted to know everything about the man, "Outside of skating, what do you do for a living?"

Jack chuckled a bit, "It's hard to believe this isn't what all these athletes do for a living, ya know, that they have a real life outside of the sport. I do sound design for a couple local theaters, it's flexible enough for me to still give skating lessons on the side."

"That sounds amazing, is that what you went to school for then?" Mark left his hand dangling by his side instead of in his pocket hoping for Jack's hand to brush his again.

"Yeah, so what does the great Mark Fischbach do with his time away from racing?"

Mark laughed before glancing up to see the arena come into view, "Well, actually I'm a veterinarian."

The two got distracted as they got in line to enter the arena, there weren't many people attending since it was an early round but it was enough for a little confusion. Jack looked down and grabbed Mark's hand pulling him to one of the shorter lines, he didn't want to get separated in the mini chaos. He relished in the warmth of Mark's hand since his fingers were freezing. Mark relished in the softness of Jack's hand.

Sadly, as quick as he grabbed Mark's hand, he released it. They made their way into the ice rink and took their seats about halfway up, Jack stripped off his Jacket before sitting and pressing his shoulder into Mark's. The American looked over, noting the loose sweater and bare collar bone of his companion and cleared his throat.

"I'm going to grab us some popcorn and drinks, do you want anything else?" He quickly stood trying to get the thoughts flying through his mind to calm down.

"No, that sounds great, thanks" Jack couldn't help but blush as Mark scooted his way in front of him giving the Irishman a perfect view of his ass.

Now, something they haven't talked about was their sexual preferences, Jack knew it would come up eventually since they kept catching glances at eachother. Honestly, he didn't really have a preference he just liked who he liked and even though it usually winds up being women, men weren't out of the question. He didn't know if he'd let himself get that far with someone he'd probably never see again but then again, stranger things have happened.

Mark got back a few minutes later, plopping down in his seat and handing over a bottle of sprite and a large bucket of popcorn. "Miss me?"

"Yeah, gotta work on my aim."

The hockey game went on, a few goals were scored, couple punches were thrown but the two were oblivious. They sat eating out of the dwindling popcorn bucket, occasionally overlapping handfuls. Once when Jack went to grab another hand full, Mark had his hand deep in the bucket. Jack smirked and slapped Mark's hand to get him to move, snatched a couple of kernels and flung them in Mark's direction. Thus started the popcorn fight.

Mark had decided he had enough of hockey to last him awhile so the two decided to leave, as they walked down the sidewalk Jack let out a visible shiver. "You ok there?" 

Jack shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged, "Yeah, just didn't think it'd be this cold out."

Letting out a little huff of breath and watching it dissipate into the air Mark chimed in, "I've got an idea that'll warm you up."

Jack stopped in his tracks with a puzzled look, "What kind of boy do you think I am?"

Mark let out a loud laugh and pulled Jack by the arm, "Nothing like that, just trust me on this."

He led the Irishman to the building that held the workout center, nestled in the back was the pool area. They walked into the enclosed area, steps echoing from the emptiness and made their way to the far end of the pool. Jack glanced around, the lights were out leaving a soft glow from the lights underneath the water making the setting rather relaxing but intimate. 

He wrung his hands in front of him, shuffling from foot to foot nervously, "If you're wanting to swim then I'd have to go get my trunks. Forgot to wear them under my jeans tonight."

Mark smirked at him and took a step closer, with a deep voice that balanced on a whisper he said, "Who said anything about swimming or trunks, where's your sense of adventure?" He grabbed his shirt and lifted it over his head and in no time Mark was down to his purple boxer briefs and sliding into the hot tub. "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to warm up?"

Jack stood in shock with his mouth agape, there was so much happening for him to take in. Not only was Mark there with him in the dark intimate space but he was only in his underwear waiting for him in a hot tub. Now if memory serves him right, he could have sworn he's seen a porn start out like this before.

Welp, no time like the present to throw caution into the wind and take some chances, Jack unzipped his jeans, took a deep breath and proceeded to strip down to his light blue briefs. He thought to himself, 'Here goes notihing'


	7. Hot tub time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark and Jack really get to know eachother

Jack awkardly slid into the warm bubbly water across from Mark and stared at the steam rising, he wasn't sure if he was comfortable with a practical stranger. I mean, they were both in their underwear silently in near darkness. 

Mark decided he wanted to try to break the tension so he sang out, "Two bros chillin in a hot tub, five feet apart because they're not gay."

Chuckling a bit, Jack looked down and figeted with his fingers again, "Man, I miss Vine. They had the funniest shit on there."

"Yeah"

Silence again.

Tonight had been filled with laughter that came so easily between the two, Mark started to think he had made a mistake bringing Jack here. He just looked uncomfortable but then he spoke up, "Ok, twenty questions."

"Ok, shoot." Mark perked up thinking that this could get interesting.

"What's your favorite color?"

Staring at Jack for a second, Mark couldn't help but feel bad at how he adverted his eyes after the question, "So out of everything out there you want my favorite color? Ok, then it's green. How about yours."

"Red"

Mark had only known Jack a short time but he knew he was anything but a man of few words. "Wait, did that count as a question?" Jack simply shook his head. "Let me think... What's your favorite video game?"

That seemed to perk the Irishman up, he talked about Shadow of the Colossas like it was the greatest thing since sliced break. He went as far as humming some of the music as he gushed about the recent re-release with the subtle changes to the characters. "Sorry, I'm rambling. Do you rent or own?"

"I own a beautiful house just outside of LA, and stay with my two best friends Tyler and Eth..an." Mark bit his lip knowing that was a sore spot, hopefully Jack would just skim over it. "How about you, same question."

"Actually I just recently bought a house when I moved to the UK, my friend Marzia is helping me decorate it right now. Moving from Ireland was a hard choice but it seemed every time I was in any kind of competition that drew attention to me I'd have fans showing up at my door." Jack sunk down in the warm water even more letting his legs stretch out but pulled back a bit when his foot brushed up the side of Mark's leg.

That stupid adorable smirk played on Mark's lips as he saw a bit of blush rise on Jack's cheeks, "Your turn"

Laying his head back against the edge of the wall of the hot tub, Jack thought for a moment about how much he wanted to know about Mark and how much he wanted Mark to know about him. "Ok, since you made the joke earlier, do you have a significant other."

Mark sat forward, eyes sparkling as he spoke, "Yeah actually, she's beautiful. Long blond hair, big brown eyes..." 

Jack didn't really know why this disappointed him so much, he was actually very attracted to Mark so hearing about his girlfriend sent a pang to his stomach.

"Her name is Chica, my two year old golden retriever. She means the world to me." 

Jack let out a laugh that echoed through the large empty room, the sound was almost heaven to Mark. "Same question again, do you have someone special at home?"

"Nah, my girlfriend and I broke things off when I moved. Nothing bad, we still talk on occasion. Guess that makes it my turn again, If you could only have one meal the rest of your life, what would it be?"

Mark was quick to answer this one without a doubt in his mind, "Chicken and dumplings, I make a killer version of it that my mom taught me but you can't ignore the glory that is Cracker Barrel."

"That sounds good but I've never been" Jack was starting to relax and open up more.

"Well, after all this mess maybe you should come and visit LA and I'll treat you to both versions." Both men locked eyes with glowing smiles on their faces. Mark cleared his throat, "So if you were forced to sleep with one or the other, would you choose the Men's curling team or women's hockey team?"

Jack rolled his eyes playfully, "What kind of question is that Mark, I guess if I had to choose I'd go with the hockey team. There's plenty of me to go around... but why not both?"

Mark's brows raised almost to his hairline, "Oh so that's how it is then?"

Laughing, Jack splashed water towards Mark, "What do you mean by that, there's nothing wrong with enjoying the best of both worlds."

"Oh, I totally agree with you there. So bi then?" He splashed back.

Thinking for a moment, Jack sat back in his place again, "Actually, I don't really have a preference. I just like who I like, it's more based off personality as opposed to what they're packin."

Mark felt his stomach tighten a bit, "Are you attracted to me?"

Jack went silent at the question for a moment as he fidgeted with his fingers again, he still wasn't sure he wanted to open this can of worms. Sure, he was very attracted to Mark, you'd have to be dead not to but with the very limited time they had together and no promise of seeing eachother after this he didn't know how far to go without getting hurt. "I think it's my turn to ask the question"

Mark gestured for him to go ahead, "Pineapple on pizza or being wrong about life?"

"Oh no, you're one of them... ABORT MISSION!" Mark stood like he was getting out of the hot tub but slowly sank back down once he noticed Jack staring. His wet garment left very little to the imagination. Jack traced his eyes upwards along his torso and chest, landing on his eyes.

Sliding over to Jack's side, Mark chose his next question carefully before whispering it out, "Jack?" bright blue eyes reflected the water so beautifully as they met his, "Can I kiss you?"

Licking his lips, the moment was almost spell binding, he slightly shook his head. "yeah"

Mark took Jack's chin between his fingers just staring at him for a moment, searching for any hesitation. He slowly leaned forward gently pressing his lips against Jack's. The kiss was soft and sweet, not too forward. They pulled apart a bit just enjoying the closeness before Mark spoke again, "We should head back."

The two men were nearly silent as they grabbed the towels from the rack against the wall to dry off and then get dressed. They made quick work of walking back to the housing area, Mark only spoke once they were in the elevator. "I had a really good time tonight, we should do this again."

Jack shook his head with a little smile, "How about tomorrow night?"

"I have the first round of qualifications then, you should come and cheer me on."

Both men got off on the third floor, Mark walked Jack to his door, "Sounds good, I'll be there... well, good night then."

They stood close, Mark placed his hand on Jack's hip pulling him a little closer. Just as Jack started to close his eyes bracing for another kiss, the door swung open.

"Jack where have you been, you know you have an early practice...oh" Walsh's eyes widened when he saw the display outside the door, "Fischbach...." he said with a monotone voice. Walsh was not a big fan.

"Oh hey, it's my Irish competitor to save the day." Mark chuckled then turned back to Jack, "I'll see you tomorrow and Walsh, I'll see you on the ice." With that he headed back to the elevator.

Jack turned to Walsh seemingly a bit upset, "What the hell?"

"Seriously Jack, of all the people here you had to choose Fischbach?" 

Heading inside and shedding his coat, Jack looked unamused, "I don't think it's really your concern, besides we just hung out for a bit. There's no harm in that."

"The guy is just cocky, I don't like or trust him one bit." Walsh followed Jack to his room.

Pausing in the doorway, Jack turned to face his friend, "Listen, just because you two don't like eachother on the ice doesn't mean you can't get along outside of it. He's a good guy if you just give him a chance."

"I don't want to see you get hurt Jack, just remember why you're here ok."

"I know, I haven't lost sight of that but if you'll excuse me I have to get some sleep, night Walsh."

"Night Jack.


	8. Cheering Section

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a year since an update? My how time flies.

Jack sat on the edge of his bed as he wiggled his toes trying to wake them up. After a quick glance outside he sighed at the darkness, being up before the sun was for the birds. Desperately wanting to hit snooze a few more times, he hoisted himself out of bed to hit the shower. Jack knew that if he was late to practice this morning, he would have a rather angry coach at his door and additional laps to look forward to. Discipline is key here.  
After a quick cold shower to wake him up, Jack decided to head out for breakfast. He needed the energy yet something light on his stomach- perhaps just some fruit and toast or an egg white omelet... He was shaken out of his thoughts as there was a light knock on the door. Thankful for the quietness as to not wake the others, he opened the door. 

“Greetings, I have a delivery for Mr. Mcloughlin” a small Korean man with a huge grin and just as huge covered platter in his hand was standing at the door. Jack was confused but let the man in anyway, he motioned for him the set the items on the counter. “I also have this, have a good day sir” a white envelope was thrust into Jack’s hand as the small man promptly left. 

In confusion, Jack lifted the dome of the platter so see an assortment of breakfast foods from the cafeteria. Well, at least he didn’t have to make that trip this early in the morning. He sat down to have a couple of bites before the opened the envelope.  
“Jack, hope I wasn’t too early on this! Just wanted to give you a pleasant wake up call and remind you of my qualifications today, I really hope to see you there since you seem to be my lucky clover. Good morning by the way –Mark.”  
Jack smiled and blushed a bit, “Damn it Mark”, he wasn’t quite used to this kind of attention but if it meant a warm early breakfast then he was all for it! 

Mark skated around the ice, warming up. He pulled his arm across his chest, then the other, making sure to stretch out. As he glided around, he eyed the crowd forming in the stands. This was just first round qualifications in speed skating so the crowd was rather light but there was no doubt folks sectioned by country. He wondered if he would spot Jack with the Irish crowd or with the American one to root him on. 

He noticed a familiar face lacing up his skates in the center on one of the benches so he made his way over, nothing like a little friendly banter, right? 

“Hey Walsh, looks like your cheering section is looking a bit light there.” Mark gestured over to four unfamiliar figures sitting in the crowd donning shirts decked out with clovers and Irish flags. 

“It’s not the size that counts, right. You of all people should know that Fishbach” Walsh smirked at him. 

They were both distracted by a few louder people that shuffled in, laughing and carrying on. “Hah, did you see that guys uniform, that is such an unfortunate placement for their team flag-right on his ass.” Tyler entered with his arm resting lightly on Ethan’s shoulders as Ethan giggled in return. They both turned a waved at Mark, followed by a handful of other American athletes to fill their section. 

Walsh noticed Mark scanning the crowd and decided to question him, “Looking for someone in particular?” He said knowingly and much to his distaste. 

“Not really, just getting a feel for the crowd” Then he noticed a familiar jacket walking across the front isle. Just as Mark was about to skate off to greet Jack, Walsh took off in front of him stopping him in his tracks. 

“Hey Jack, you made it! Glad to see you came to support your fellow Irishman” Walsh said with a grin. 

“Yeah, wouldn’t miss it.” Jack tried to focus on his friend but seemed distracted trying to catch a glance at Mark who had resumed his warmups. 

“So, looks like our folks are over there on turn three if you wanted to join the cheering section.” Gesturing over to the corner towards the small Irish section. He also noted Jack’s eyeline towards Mark, “Jack... Jack, did you hear me or are you distracted by the American again.” He snapped his fingers in front of Jacks face, who was not blushing. 

“Oh, no I heard you man, I’ll be there cheering for you loud and clear” Jack said with a smile on his face as he turned to head to the bleachers. 

Really, Jack didn’t want to sit in any section, he just wanted to cheer on his own, especially since he wanted to root on Mark. That would just look odd from his section though, plus he didn’t want to root against Walsh... why not both. He really didn't understand the rift between Walsh and Mark.

""You look way too deep in thought" Danny, his coach, said as he plopped down next to Jack. 

"I thought you'd be over in with the Americans today" Jack said with a small smile, secretly thankful for the company.

"You looked lonely so I thought you could use a friend. Why so deep in thought man, I didn't think you even really liked this sport?"

Jack stared down at this fumbling fingers for a moment, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot"

"You've been through this a few times, the Olympics i mean, did you ever find yourself... shit, how do I put this... Did you ever want to just...." Jack shook his head, not knowing how to put into words what he was thinking.

Danny quickly caught on, "Ohhh, I think I get it. Getting distracted by some eye candy." he grinned knowingly.

Jack buried his face in his hands, groaning.

"Who is it then... wait, let me guess." Danny tapped his chin with his finger as he glanced across the ice. "I'm assuming it's a guy right" Jack simply nodded as Danny continued, "and he's probably out there today", once again a simple nod. Then Danny spotted it, Mark was practically breaking his neck watching the two chatting. "ok, I get it. He's pretty hot."

"Wait, what?" Jack's head shot up in confusion, wondering how Danny could have guessed already. He glanced over to the starting line as Mark gave a small smile and wink towards him just before taking his starting position..... the tone sounded and the skaters were off. Jack couldn't help it, he ignored Walsh slightly trailing Mark and stood to cheer as they went past. Mark was currently in the lead of the pack.


	9. What is it with him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Walsh chat about his distaste for Mark.

Jack hung around for a bit after the end of the race waiting for Mark to notice him, ever since their shared kiss in the hot tub he couldn't get the American off his mind. As Mark skated over, Danny chimed in, "Well, I'll leave you to it. Just remember about tonight.

Replying absentmindedly, "Yeah, Yeah, I know." Jack had a huge grin on his face as Danny left. 

"So, what ya think. I looked pretty good out there, right?" Mark said as he swiped his slightly sweaty hair from his face.

"I'd say so, you were amazing Mark"

The American leaned against the wall and confidently pointed to his cheek which was happily greeted with a friendly peck from Jack. "Wanna hang out for a bit after I get cleaned up?"

Jack felt the butterflies start to go crazy in his stomach at the thought, "Sure, coach gave me the rest of the afternoon off. That is until my preliminaries tonight."

"Well, you can hang out at my place until I shower or I can meet you somewhere in about a half hour." The two decided to meet in the recreation building next to the housing area, Jack didn't really want to bump into someone he didn't really want to talk to at the moment since there was still such a bad taste in his mouth from Ethan's little music selection. 

Jack headed to his apartment area to grab his phone charger before heading out, he was greeted by a door slamming as Walsh walked in, dropped his bag and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. His brow furrowed as he glanced over to Jack, "What the hell was that about?" Walsh asked in distaste.

"What do you mean, w-what... did I do something wrong" Jack paused before he walked out the door.

"I thought you were on my side, ya know, wanted to see your fellow countryman win and not some American douche bag."

Jack huffed as he closed the door and stepped back into the apartment, realizing exactly what Walsh was talking about. "Listen, you did great. Second isn't all that bad, you should be proud."

"Against anyone else I would be but Mark... He's a different story. You were cheering for HIM, of all people. That guy has been out to get me ever since we first met, I don't know what it is with Fischbach but he has always been an ass to me and I don't understand what you see in him." Walsh plopped down on a stool at the counter hoping Jack would do the same.

"Ok, I'm listening so tell me what's so bad about him. What is it with you two?" Jack sat next to him at the counter.

Leaning back a bit and playing with the now empty water bottle, Walsh thought about how to explain, "Fischbach is one of those guys that no matter how hard you try, he always has some smart ass comment to say. It goes beyond competitve nature with him, he tries to get in your head and doubt yourself. Ever since I beat him and almost got the world record in that American event last year, he's just progressivly gotten more aggressive with me. It's been pretty light nature since we've gotten here but believe me, it's the calm before the storm."

Jack sat in silence for a moment, "I just don't see it, I mean we hung out for a bit and I don't get that vibe from him."

"Oh don't worry, you will. When you least expect it he will worm his way into your head, especially yours... since he's such good friends with that Ethan guy." Walsh stood and placed his hand on Jack's shoulder. "I just don't want to see you hurt and as your friend I would suggest you take Mark with a grain of salt. I'm going to shower so I'll see you tonight, yeah?"

"Yeah, see you tonight man." With that Jack headed out with his mind heavy.

Mark was true to his word because within a half hour he was walking into the recreation area. The sound of air hockey, table tennis and laughter filled the air. He scanned the area and noticed Jack was no where to be seen so he made his way over to the gaming consoles to snag an area for them. Within a few minutes, a warm body plopped down on the leather couch next to him.

"Hey, whatcha playin?" Jack greeted him with a smile and a bowl of pretzels.

"Just some Mario Kart, they don't have the biggest selection but you can't go wrong with the classics." He leaned into his steering as he rounded a corner ultimately veering off the edge.

Jack chuckled watching him, "Man, you really suck at this."

"It's rainbow road, what do you expect! Don't kink shame me!" He paused the game and turned his attention to Jack. "So, prelims tonight. You nervous at all?"

"Nah, at this point I could do this blindfolded. It's when it gets down to the finals the nerves start to kick in a bit." He popped a pretzel in his mouth and grabbed the other remote as he kicked off his shoes to get comfortable. "Now, are you ready for that ass whoopin?"

"Anytime sweetheart" Mark laughed as Jack brought up his legs to settle into the couch. Mark was quick to catch his legs and bring them across his lap. He just wanted any kind of physical contact with the Irishman and this felt cozy, almost like they were at home together. Mark could almost imagine his dog Chica resting at his other side and decided he really liked this domestic feeling.


	10. Round one... Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First round of the competition

"What am I going to do about this?" Ethan sat frustrated with his head in his hands.

"Nothing, you go out there and you ignore all the negativity and you skate your heart out like you came here to do." Rubbing his back, Tyler sat next to him trying to calm his nerves.

"But you heard it, we practically have the same damn music for our programs. Plus, tonight is televised for the whole world to see so when this gets out I will be raked over the coals again." He was so frustrated at this point that there were tears forming in his eyes. Ethan sat back as Tyler wrapped his arm around his shoulders then kissed him on top of his head.

"Just know that no matter what anyone says I'm still so proud of you. You had no idea this was going to happen so try not to stress.

"Yeah, that's easy for you to say."

That evening there was a nervous tension in the air as the skaters took to the ice to do warmups. It was only about a half hour before the start of the event and the crowd were all taking their seats. Mark and Tyler sat rink side to cheer on Ethan... and well, Jack too. It wasn't too far into the program when Jack took the ice first, smiling and waiving at the crowd as he took his starting stance. The music started slow and methodical, he gracefully glided around the rink building up for his first jump. A rather simple double toe to reflect the simplicity of the music but as the music swelled, his routine became more complex. He executed almost perfectly only loosing his footing only once. Mark beamed with excitement and pride watching his new found 'friend' close the routine with a series of complicated spins and a large smile. The crowd erupted with approval as the judges assessed the routine and entered in their scores. 

Tyler bumped Mark with his elbow and a disapproving look, "Don't get too excited, Ethan is coming out soon. Remember who's important to support here."

Jack sat on the bench with Danny as the scores rolled in, several high nines and some eights which they were quite happy with.

"Way to go man, you looked almost flawless out there. You will definitely be the one to beat." Danny beamed as the standings showed Jack was in first place.

"Thanks, it's still early in the game but it felt good!"

Three routines later was Ethan's time to shine, he took to the ice and eyed the crowd giving a small smile to Tyler. He took his ready stance and the music started, once he heard the tune come over the speaker he was lost in the routine and didn't notice the looks and murmurs from the spectators, but Tyler and Mark did.

"All he can do at this point is out skate Jack, he certainly is not gaining any popularity points with this crowd." Tyler gestured around.

"Just have faith, he'll do just fine" Mark sat forward watching Ethan intently. He was rooting for Jack, yes, but he also wanted to see his friend do good and certainly didn't like where the reactions were going.

As Ethan rounded a corner to turn back and ready for a jump, his skate hit the ice by the wall and he came tumbling down. He quickly brushed it off but it definitely showed in his routine that he was thrown off his game. Outside of the fall and a couple missteps, the routine was all in all good and the scores showed. He and Katherine sat on the bench waiting the scores but what he did not hear was the American announcers critiquing his suspiciously similar music choice.

"You have to wonder after a history like Ethan and Jack have if it is just a coincidence or if there are ill intentions behind the music selection of these two. The question is, who had it first?" The announcer Bob looked over to his cohost Mandy as they mulled over the past of the two skaters.

The scores came in and Ethan was pleasantly surprised with his moderately high marks, it was at least enough to get him comfortably past the first round. When all was said and done the night didn't go too bad, that was until dinner.

Jack was by himself grabbing something light for dinner and sitting in a quiet corner, he liked the time to himself to reflect on the evenings routine and what he could do to improve. He certainly didn't expect to have company sit with him.

Sliding the tray on the small table, Ethan sat across from Jack refraining from eye contact but making his presence know as he cleared his throat. Jack took out his earbuds and stared at the younger skater infront of him.

"Uhh, hi there?" Jack said in question as to what Ethan could want.

"S-sorry if I'm bothering you, I can sit somewhere else but I just wanted to say you looked great out there today." Ethan stuttered out, only glancing up only once.

Jack could sense his discomfort but water under the bridge, there was nothing he could do but hold onto his anger. Even at that, it wouldn't change the fact that he thought Ethan was still trying to steal his content.

He sighed, paused his music and sat back in his seat. "It's no problem and thanks, sucks about your fall today. Glad you could brush it off and keep going though."

Ethan looked up at his and smiled, "Thanks, I really appreciate that. Listen, about the music..."

"Just... please don't. I want to enjoy dinner and not hash over what may or may not be." Jack interrupted him not wanting do get into it right now. "Let's just get past this and let the competition play out, it's not all about the music it's how we skate that their judging.

"I didn't do it on purpose, I need you to believe me... I had no idea." Ethan was persistent and couldn't let it rest until he got his point across. "I'm sorry this happened but if I would have known.."

"Ethan, I said let it be. There's no need to keep going over this plus, after our past, I'm not sure what to believe from you." Jack started to get agitated.

"What do you think I'm happy to ride on your coat tails my whole career, whether you believe me or not I did nothing wrong here but you still have a chip on your shoulder about it." Ethan couldn't believe the words that were flowing out of his mouth at the moment. He came to bury that hatchet.. not bury it in Jack's back.

Jack stood slamming his hands on the table, much to the attention of the other surrounding athletes. "I didn't ask for you to steal my shit, be yourself for once in your fucking life and let go of trying to be me. Trust me, you'll become a better skater if you do." With that he walked off leaving Ethan and his unfinished dinner behind.


	11. Workout time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark and Jack go to workout

Walsh opened their door with a sigh, "What do you want?"

"Is Jack here?" Mark answered to the rather rude greeting.

"Yeah, he's just finishing up in the shower" Walking away but leaving the door open, Walsh left to resume what he was doing on his laptop and Mark took that as an invitation to enter- regardless of how cold it felt.

"Listen man, I know we have kind of a shaky past but you did really good in the qualifications the other day" Mark extended his hand, "No hard feelings?"

Walsh eyed him up and down before accepting the handshake, "Yeah, sure. No hard feelings." he was reluctant to accept Mark's good will towards him but did so anyway. "JACK! YOU HAVE A VISITOR" He shouted towards the other room. Then gestured for Mark towards Jack's room.

The American made his way towards the closed door and knocked softly, after a moment the door cracked open and Jack poked his head out, "Oh!, hey, come in." 

Mark entered, looking around at the rather spacious room noticing clothes thrown about and Jack still with a towel wrapped around his waist and wet hair dripping on his shoulders. He couldn't help but trace his eyes along the drops running down his shoulders to his bare chest. He heard Jack quietly laugh at his expression.

"What, it's nothing you haven't seen before" Jack said with a smirk on his lips as he turned his back to fish some briefs out of the drawer.

"What... oh, no sorry. I-I'm just in awe of the sight... this room is much bigger than mine, plus I have to share it."

"I really don't think you were looking at the size of my room but ok" Jack turned his back and slipped on his under garment beneath his towel before letting the wet cloth drop to the floor.

Mark still stood quietly watching the other man as he rustled through more drawers to fetch clothes. He slowly walked up behind Jack and ran his hand down his bare back to which Jack quickly stood back up straight and turned around in a bit of shock.

"S-sorry, was that too much?" Mark retreated his hand and proceeded to take a step back.

"You could at least buy me dinner first" The Irishman said with a wink and a smile, "It's fine, you just kind of startled me is all." He took a step forward and rested his hands on Mark's shoulders, putting the other man at ease. "I kinda liked it though. Did you want something or just came to gawk at me?"

Mark was rather lost for words at the moment, all he wanted was to kiss Jack and maybe lay him across the bed and... Mark was shaken from his thoughts as the Irishman leaned in and placed a light kiss to his lips. 

"I, uh actually wanted to see if you'd to do something. I heard they had a movie theater here, thought it might be cool to check out" he slowly snaked his arms around Jack's waist, "Or maybe we could just stay here"

"Slow your roll there tiger, a movie would be great but I really have to hit the gym for a bit. Maybe we could go together if you're up for it."

"Oh, I'm up alright... but yeah, the gym sounds great. Didn't you just take a shower though, why go and get all sweaty now." 

Jack simply shook his head and retreated to get his clothes on, "that was more of just running hot water to relax my muscles, my legs tend to tighten up and it seems to help"

He and Mark agreed to meet at the gym since Jack needed to pack a bag and Mark needed to change into something more workout friendly. Once the American arrived he spotted Jack on the floor stretching his legs out and decided this would be a nice time to help, especially if it meant more touching would be involved. He knelt down on the floor placing his hands on Jack's leg and pushed it up towards his chest to increase the stretch then proceeded to do the same with the other leg. The moment felt rather intimate, especially since Jack's eyes never strayed away from him. The two chose to lift weights, spotting each other in the process and although there wasn't much chatter between them, they never passed up an opportunity to touch. It started with Mark laying down on the bench to bench press and show off his arms, Jack rather enjoyed the view as he stood at his head ready to assist with the heavy weights if needed and then went from there.

Their workout was interrupted as Mark was met by a familiar face, "Hey Tyler, fancy meeting you here" the two stepped away as Jack went to get a drink.

"Yeah, thought I'd work on the gun show since I had a free moment. How's things going with our little Irishman, make any moves yet" Tyler said as he nudged him with his elbow.

"Tyler, can we just forget about all of that. I don't want to hang out with Jack because you want me to be a 'distraction'. I actually really like him and I don't want to screw this up because of some stupid thing you have with your boyfriend."

Rolling is eyes and shaking his head, "You and i both know this is just a temporary thing, what are you going to do become pin pals or something. No, after this he goes back home to where ever he lives now and you go back to LA. Just do me this favor and don't you go loosing your head." Tyler seemed to hit a sour spot with Mark with that. It was something that was definitely in the back of his mind that they were only there for a couple of weeks before real life resumed and he returned to being a veterinarian and not an Olympian and Jack wouldn't be there anymore. 

"You're probably right but still, I don't want to hurt him." Mark glanced over to see jack chatting with one of the female athletes as they sipped on their water.

"All I ask is that you try, alright? I'm going to leave you to it and finish up myself." Tyler started to walk away before turning back, "Did you happen to bring your key, I forgot mine"

"Yeah man, locker 133, it's in my bag. Just make sure to be there to open the door for me later." With that, Tyler hit the locker room leaving Mark with a heavy mind.

After their workout, Mark and Jack grabbed their gym bags and headed back to Jack's apartment. Honestly they were rather relieved when they arrived to an empty apartment. 

"So, Just let me freshen up a bit and we can go out. You can just leave your bag in my room for now." Jack headed to the bathroom.

Mark tossed his bag on the floor and plopped down on the bed, his eyes were rather heavy and a bit irritated from his contacts. By the time Jack finished up, Mark was half asleep on the bed.

"Come on, get up sleepyhead" Jack sat on the side of the bed and started bouncing Mark around to wake him up.

Letting out a groan, Mark sat up. "Alright, alright, just let me take out my contact and change into my glasses. These damn things are giving me a headache."

Grabbing his bag and unzipping it, Mark dumped the contents onto Jack's bed to search for his glasses and contact container. Much to his surprise and a bit of horror, he did not expect to find what he did. Out of his bag came tumbling about thirty or so condoms and packets of lube that were stuffed in there as a joke by Tyler. They were there to take in the locker room, better to be safe than sorry so Tyler slid a few of the reminders in Mark's bag as he took the key out.

"H-holy shit Mark, what were you planning on doing to me?" Jack said as he stifled a giggle, Mark's face had never been so red in his life. He would be sure to give Tyler a piece of his mind later but for now how would he dig himself out of this hole.


End file.
